Seven Days
by damianarose
Summary: The seven days leading up to Regulus's death. So basically what I imagined happened when he stole the horcrux. This is rated T for death and bit of violence.


**Day One**

Regulus stood in a group of his peers, well they were supposed to be his peers, but he knew most of them thought they were better then who they worked with. He scratched his arm where his Dark Mark was branded, it always itched, he didn't understand why they couldn't have t-shirts or watches or something besides a brand into the skin, but he guessed that secretly Voldemort had a fetish with it.

"Regulus you're not paying attention, the master is speaking," his cousin Bellatrix gave him a dirty look and nudged him, her creepy husband glared at him and Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Bella," he muttered and focused again on what the Dark Lord was saying. He was speaking about a prophecy and blah blah… Wait. Regulus' eyes focused on what the Master was saying. They had a new spy? One close to Dumbledore's favourite pet James Potter?

"Sirius?" he whispered, he reached up to play with the locket around his neck, one Sirius had given him when he was ten, causing Bella to turn to him.

"I hope so, I would forgive him for being a useless blood traitor," she gave him her grin, a grin that over the years had become more evil and crazy. Regulus remembered a time where she'd been pretty, dancing and a happy girl.

They were quickly dismissed afterwards and Regulus went back home, wondering if it could be true, could Sirius really be the traitor and if not him then who?

**Day Two**

"A baby! Are you kidding me?" Regulus slammed his fist into a wall near his mother's portrait. She gave him a disapproving look and told him to take his tantrum else where.

Regulus walked down the hall towards the library, he ignored the scolding look from Kreecher as the little maggot went to fix the new hole in the wall.

"Kill a baby, I don't know, that's got to be not right, even in his book," Regulus was still talking to himself as he sat down in a big chair.

"Oh who am I kidding, the man, if he even is still a man, has so much tar on his soul that killing a baby is about as wrong as drinking water," Regulus stood again and poured himself a snifter of Wizard's Brandy.

Regulus sat back down, it was so quiet, and he missed the house when it was full, his cousins, his brother, even his parents. But now that everyone was gone or dead it was just him, Kreecher, and the bad habit of talking to himself.

"I can't let them kill a baby," Regulus muttered as the brandy began to lull him to sleep, "but how can I stop them?"

**Day Three and Four**

Regulus spent every waking minute in his family's library pouring over books, old and new, reading through dust, magic booby traps and annoying creatures that kept scurrying out of the shelves.

He began to listen to the gossip from his fellow Death Eaters, especially when they didn't know he was lurking, he paid closer attention to the descriptions of the battles being fought until finally he came upon an reference that had been highlighted by his Great Aunt somebody or other about the Horcrux.

After he read the passage he sat, on the floor, covered in dust, "that's got to be it!" he whispered, excitedly, "He's got to have split up his soul!" Regulus stood up, feeling slightly ill, he'd done some horrible things since becoming a Death Eater but even he could not fathom the use of a horcrux.

He stretched, his joints tired after two days spent sitting and hunched over books and manuscripts, "but how is this helpful to me?" He began to pace.

"If I could find it I could use it against him as blackmail!" Regulus exclaimed and then frowned, that was no good, and he'd be dead within a second of trying that. Regulus felt fear slip through him, the game he was playing could get him killed, there wasn't really anything he could do about it, and death was going to be the outcome one way or another.

"I could give it to Dumbledore, and he'd probably protect me," Regulus smiled, but it dimmed, was he really thinking of defecting of going against the Dark Lord?

"A baby Regulus, they want to kill a baby," Regulus sighed, yes he was going to do it, he was going to leave the Death Eaters, turn his back on a cause he'd killed for.

"Now to find a Horcrux."

**Day Five**

"Regulus the Master wants Rod and I to come with him on a short trip, I think you should come it's not healthy for you to be inside that house alone all of the time," Bellatrix told him the next morning when she came for Sunday tea.

"Where are you going?" Regulus asked, he was tired and he'd had a horrible night sleep, dreaming of cups, lockets and snakes, his dreams didn't make any sense.

"He won't tell us he just has something he wants to check on and needed a few of us to go with him.

"Yeah sure…I mean it would be an honor," Regulus yawned getting a dangerous look from his cousin.

They met up with Voldemort that after noon and quickly appartated to a very small town. Regulus was quiet and dressed in black, he looked around briefly trying to figure out why they were there, what could be so interesting or important about this small town. Regulus had more important things to do like finding a horcrux and trying to convince Dumbledore to meet with him, not to mention the whole trying to stay alive part.

Regulus followed a grinning Bellatrix and a crazy eyed Rod as they both followed the Dark Lord to a path that led out of the town. They made their way to a cave and Regulus rolled his eyes, "all this way for a damn cave we could have found at home." He muttered under his breath.

As they walked into the dark cave Regulus could feel the magic oozing off the walls, the wards and spells that were protecting something in the cave. Voldemort led them through a few traps; it was like the magic had touched him and recognizing its creator had temporarily shut down.

Finally found an underground lake and they all got on a boat together. Regulus tried to make himself small, knowing if he drew attention to himself the others could turn on him, with this much magic and power in a place everyone usually got itchy.

When they reached the island in the middle Regulus began to get a bad feeling. He watched as Voldemort produced a small box from his cloak, Regulus eyed the box suspiciously. Suddenly there was a large commotion from the lake and around 20 dead people came climbing out of it, all angry and murderous.

"Lord I thought you said you'd shut down the defenses," Bellatrix hissed pulling her wand.

"Sometimes even I forget Bella," The Dark Lord wheezed, pulling his own wand. Rod had light in his eyes and the three of them ran towards the lake to dispel the dead.

Regulus took three steps towards where Voldemort had left the box; he opened it and saw a pretty locket gleaming up at him. Without a thought he reached up and jerked off the locket hidden beneath his shirt and swapped it with the one in the box, looking back he saw that his cousin and the Dark Lord were almost done.

Regulus was frantic, he slipped the locket into his pocket, digging around in his robes he found a scrap of paper with his grocery list written on one side and a pen. He scribbled a note, signing it RAB. He didn't know why he felt compelled to leave a note; he shut the lid and took a few steps back.

"And you didn't help us why?" He heard Rod come up next to him after they finished dealing with the "distraction."

"You looked like you had it covered," Regulus shrugged and lied.

The Dark Lord made them turn around as he hid the box, they left several minutes later.

When Regulus got home he threw up and passed out.

**Day Six**

Regulus spent the next day in a cold sweat. He contacted Dumbledore and was supposed to be meeting him the next morning. He wrapped the locket in a silk scarf that had once belonged to his mother and hid it in the floor boards of the house. When he went to speak with Dumbledore he'd bring it, but until then he didn't want to hold it or wear it.

Bella and Cissy tried to visit him and he refused telling them he was sick, he knew that if they saw him they'd know he did something bad, that he was a traitor. He ignored it when his Dark Mark burned announcing a meeting. He buried himself in his bed until the burn faded to a dull pain and finally went away.

It burned again later that night and Regulus knew it was a warning, a second chance to come and abase himself to his master, ask to be forgiven for missing the meeting. Regulus ignored it; he tried to think about what it would be like to be away from the darkness that had been gathering in his soul for years.

Regulus fell asleep knowing that morning could not come soon enough.

**Day Seven**

"You've betrayed us Reggie haven't you," Regulus woke with his cousin's breath fanning his face, her wand raised and pointed at him.

"What…Bella?" He asked, groggy. As his vision cleared he realized Rod and Lucius Malfoy were in his room as well.

"The Master says you ignored both of his summonings last night, that he felt you were trying to leave us." Bella hissed, she grabbed his hair and pulled him into a sitting position.

"I was sick," Regulus shrugged and even to his own ears it was a lame excuse.

"You've become like Sirius a nasty blood traitor," Rod said coldly, his own wand pulled as well.

"No..I'd never…" Regulus stammered as he realized that no matter what he said they'd already made up their minds.

"Why Reggie? Was it money? Did someone offer you power or sex maybe?" Bella asked.

"No, nothing like that. Please Bella let me go we're family," Regulus begged.

Bella stood up and released him; she put her wand away and gave him sad, deceiving eyes.

"You're right Reggie you're family I can't kill you, even if you have betrayed my Lord and Master."

"But I can." Rod's eyes gleamed with fire, "such a tangled web you've weaved for yourself Regulus, goodbye."

"No Rod don't-"

**"Avada Kedavra!"**

And the last thing Regulus saw was green.


End file.
